Yay! Tessa Bailey in the Philippines!

NOT. Sorry! I’m just kidding. But how I really wish! Good thing there’s Mina and our very own Tessa Bailey fanbase in the country that we all met up with each other last August 29. Thank you so much, Mina, for hosting this successful first experiment! And for every #BaileysBabesPH whom I shared a happy Saturday afternoon with! Until our next!

There’s so much I’d like to tell about Tessa Bailey’s books but the bottomline is: I love her. Her books. The characters, their stories, their struggles, their happy endings. The first Tessa Bailey book that I read was Asking for Trouble way back two years ago. Since then and even until now, I was hooked. I buy every book she publishes and even become a release-day reader of each one. No wonder she tops my Most-Read Authors List on Goodreads.

Because of the bad traffic I heard we had the day before that (blame town fiesta), I dreaded to be stuck on the road especially in a public vehicle and be late for the discussion—or worst, not being able to make it! So of course, I had to leave like four hours ahead of the schedule. (Oh my gosh, did I really do that?! I am never early! Well, okay, with the exception of when I’ll head to the airport.) But I guess, the fear of not being there and chat with fellow Tessa Bailey addicts got the most of me, thus making me two hours early! LOL. Whew what a relief! Another thing about being the first comer: I got to know where the exact place we’d be meeting at—Red Mango. I’m stupid with directions and I don’t dare ask security guards until it’s already my last resort. There, I saw Mina who’s already around the area as well since she’d be having a talk at Raffles Hotel for the Philippine Literary Festival later in the afternoon. I roamed around a bit and thank God and the two Annas of my life (Hi brother! Hi Anna!) that I’ve been with in the same vicinity a lot of times. If not for them, I’d probably get lost (and cry in a corner). Haha!

Two hours later, I went back to Red Mango and noticed everyone was still not around. I refused to be the first to sit there. Hehe. Few minutes later, they arrived one by one and I was very grateful that Mina did, too. I didn’t know anyone! Except Anne that I recognized from Mae Coyiuto’s book launch but I wasn’t sure if it was really her. A few minutes more when everyone was already there and introductions were done, we fell into a smooth flow of discussion about Tessa’s books, her unique writing style, the heroes we love wholeheartedly, and why we love reading her books. Even when they’re not carried by any bookstores nationwide. This is where I say I’m very grateful for ebooks! That’s the only way I can get my Tessa Bailey fix! Everyone picked out various heroes (I chose Beck!) and we got to find out why! Cool stuff! I love how everyone had different point of views from angles I missed out on. And how I’d love to do a Tessa Bailey binge rereading to get to know the books much better. That’s the best thing about a book club discussion right? You get to learn each other’s thoughts on things and evaluate your own.

SQUAD GOALZ. Photo from Anne.

Did I mention there was a huge serving of cake waiting? And overflowing supply of coffee? And book giveaways where I scored this beauty because of being the early bird? HA! Perks! And LOL moments because of our selfishness about our leading men? And pop quiz where I luckily picked the statement “I’d marry…” to which I supplied with Troy(!!!)where I realized I could be a secret dirty girl because Troy’s girls are? WHOA. And the twin birth of #BowensBitchez which was coined by the head of Bowen’s fan club, Anne? And #BecksBebes (I belong here! Haha!) which was from Kristel? Yep, definitely something we should do again!

We all wished Tessa herself were there to join us! But she did extend and share her love and happiness for us!

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Hi! I am April and I write to remember. I love sunny days, sound of salt water waves, and the feel of sand beneath my feet. I am in love with beautiful words, letters (snail mail, the alphabet), gold inks and red lipsticks. High heels, too. I invest my time educating the next generation hopefuls in a public high school, learning, reading and writing, with a few shopping in between, then blogging about them after in that order.

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Wow your excitement about this event is through the roof!! I’m happy for you that you had tons of fun. I bet you can’t wait for the next one :)

And I stil love that dress you wore for this event!!

LIFT4Autism

Welcome

Hi! We are April, Jellie, Kcee and Sheryl and we are The Reading Belles! We love reading romance fiction with swoony men paired with strong women. Yes, we too just like you, love the perfect blend of drama and comedy topped with a dash or a mouthful of risqué!

The books we review are usually the ones we buy and sometimes include early copy from authors/publishers. This doesn't affect our reviews in any way. We don't earn anything from what we do aside from emotional fulfilment and blissful feelings after reading/reviewing what we love.